Rare Sight: Black Bear Photographed at Grand Canyon

A hidden camera caught a rare picture of a large black bear roaming near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon last month. The picture was recently released by park officials.

It's highly uncommon to see bears around this area because there are only a few natural water sources and it offers only marginal habitat, said Greg Holm, wildlife program manager at Grand Canyon National Park.

Holm told OurAmazingPlanet he thinks the bear may have been driven by thirst. "It's very, very dry this year," he said. "The theory is that that bear or some bears may have been traveling into the park to find new sources of water."

Water and food. Bears are driven by food. We are in a drought here in northern NV and expect to see bears this fall out in the sagebrush and in people's yards. They have been on the runway of the Reno Airport, and in downtown Carson City in past droughts.